Splitting safety, Operating the dr 5-ton wood splitter – DR Power Hydraulic 5-Ton (Oct 2010 - July 2013) User Manual
Page 11
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Splitting Safety
The DR 5-TON WOOD SPLITTER has a Ram with 5 tons of force.
Operating the DR 5-TON WOOD SPLITTER
The DR 5-Ton Wood Splitter requires the use of both hands to operate. The
user’s left hand controls the Hydraulic Control Lever, while the right hand
controls the Push Button Switch. The Wood Splitter will freeze upon absence of
either hand. The Log Ram will return back to the starting position only after both
hands release the controls.
NOTE: Before starting the splitting operation, the log Ram should be cycled 3 to 4
times back and forth (with the Air Bleed Screw open). This will remove any
air that may have mixed into the hydraulic fluid from transporting. See
“Before Splitting Wood” on previous page for the Air Bleed Screw Operation.
Tip:
In cold weather, cycle the Ram to warm up the hydraulic fluid. This will
provide full power from the DR 5-TON WOOD SPLITTER. See “Specifications”
in Chapter 2 for hydraulic fluid information.
Splitting Wedge
Splitting Area
Ram
Operator Zone
Figure 8
Never handle wood by the ends.
Figure 9
Always be sure to stand inside the operator zone when operating the
wood splitter (Figure 8). This is the area directly behind your 5-ton
electric/hydraulic DR wood splitter. Never operate the wood splitter from
anywhere else.
Handle logs only from the sides, never by the ends.
Be very careful to keep arms and fingers away from the wedge, ram, and
splitting area.
Keep hands and fingers clear at all times. Many wood splitting accidents
happen on the return portion of the stroke.
Do not put any part of your body within the splitting area. Use a stick if
you need to remove debris from the splitting area.
Never force pressure on the log splitter for more than 5 seconds in order
to split excessively hard wood.
For best splitting results, place log flat on the beam between the log
guides with butt end against the leading edge of the wedge.
Never attempt to split a log at an angle and be sure the wedge and ram
will contact the log squarely on the ends.
DO NOT force the blade by splitting the upper part of the log. This will
break the blade or damage the machine (Figure 9).
Split log in the direction of its grain. Placing logs across the log splitter
for splitting is dangerous and may seriously damage the machine.